Semitic etymology : Query result

Number: 2218

Proto-Semitic: *ŝimaʔl- {} *ĉimaʔl-

Meaning: left (side, hand)

Akkadian: šumēlu, šumīlu 'left side, left hand' OB on [CAD š 267], [AHw 1271].

The irregular -ē-/-ī- (instead of the expected *-ā-) may be explained from the change *ŝimaʔl- > *šimiʔl- > šumīl- (*-i- > -u- near -m-)

Ugaritic: šmʔal 'die, das Linke' [Aist 307].

To be normalized as ši/umaʔl- ?

Hebrew: ŝǝmō(ʔ)l 'left side, left' [KB 1332].

Note -ā- in ŝǝmā(ʔ)lī 'left' (adj.) [ibid. 1333], which is usually explained as a regular reflex of *ā in an unstressed position (versus -ō- in ŝǝmō(ʔ)l where *ā is stressed). It seems more plausible, however, not to connect this discrepancy with accentual phenomena, but rather to regard the adjective as derived after a different pattern (probably *CaCaCiyy-, сf. yǝmānī 'right' with -a-, which neither can go back directly to its presumed prototype yāmīn 'right side')

Judaic Aramaic: sǝmālā 'left side' [Ja 1002].

Orthographically also with both ŝ and (ʔ) ЛУЧШЕ ИХ ПРИВЕСТИ [Ja 1591], [Sok 571]

Syrian Aramaic: sǝmālā 'sinistra', adj. 'sinister' [Brock 481]

Modern Aramaic: HRT šumala 'links' [J Hert 199] NASS simǟlä 'left hand, left side' [Tser 0148] MMND smāla 'left' [M MND 509

Mandaic Aramaic: smal(a) 'left (hand, arm, side)' [DM 332].

Also asmala, ʕsmala (with the *ʔa- prefix)

Arabic: šimāl- 'main gauche' [BK 1 1273], šamāl- 'côté gauche' [ibid.]

Mehri: ŝaymǝl 'left, left hand' [JM 380]

Jibbali: ŝĩyɛ̄l 'left-hand, left (direction)' [JJ 253], ŝǝmli, ŝǝmlɛ̄t 'left' [ibid.]

Harsusi: ŝémel 'left, left-hand' [JH 120]

Soqotri: ŝímhil (ŝémhel, ŝémel) 'gauche' [LS 430] (also [SSL LS 1473; SSL 4 97])

Notes: Postulating the succession *-aʔl- in the protoform is the only non-contradictory way to explain ō in HBR.

On the possibility of suffixed *-l see Introduction; cf. ARB šaʔmat- 'côté gauche' [BK 1 1179], SAB s₂ʔm 'North' [SD 130] and JIB ŝiñ (a correct transcription is ŝĩn, see [SSL 2 247]) 'gauche' quoted in [LS 64] under ʔímhel (influenced, according to Leslau, by iñ 'droite', cf. notes to *yamīn~ *yamān-, No. ).

See metathesis with a meaning shift in ARB šaʔamal- 'vent du Nord' (also šamʔal- do.) [BK 1 1273] and ESA: SAB h-s₂ʔml 'be northward' [SD 130], MIN s₂ʔml-s₁ 'vers le nord' [LM 85] (note s₂mʔl-s₁ quoted [ibid. 86] as a contextual form).

Note BERB *a-zǝlmaḍ 'left', *z- yielding AFRAS *ĉ. With three identical root consonants out of four, though in a metathetic order, and such specific meaning as 'left', the SEM and BERB roots are very likely related; BERB -ḍ in Auslaut, though, remains unexplained (<*a-zǝlmaʔ-t <*-ĉilmaʔ-t < metathetic *ĉimʔal-t ?).

[Holma 3]: AKK, HBR, ARB, SYR; [KB 1332]: HBR, UGR, AKK, ARM, ARB, ESA; [Brock 481]: SYR, ARB, HBR, AKK; [LS 430]: SOQ, MSA, ARB, HBR, SYR, AKK